A traditional loudspeaker, as shown in FIG. 1, consists of an outer basket structure having a basket 4 connected to a U-yoke 10. A coil former 8, coil 9, magnet 11, and top plate 12 are disposed within the U-yoke 10. A dust cup 1 and cone 2 extend across an opening delimited by the basket 4. The uppermost end of the cone 2 is connected to the upper part of the basket 4 by a surround 3. A spider 6 connects the coil former 8 with the middle part of the basket 4. An upper cavity 5 and a lower cavity 7 are delimited as illustrated by the various structural elements of the loudspeaker.
The surround 3 and the spider 6 form the conventional suspension elements of the traditional loudspeaker and are intended to provide a restoring force to the moving parts 1, 2, 8, 9 while centering and stabilizing the coil 9 within the magnetic gap. However, for some designs, the spider could become problematic due to its location, design and materials employed.
The spider element 6 is designed to center the coil 9 into the magnetic gap and to provide restoring force to the moving parts of the loudspeaker. As mentioned, the spider 6 is connected to the voice coil former at its inner diameter and to the basket at its outer diameter. The rolling cross-sectional shape of the spider and the material of which it is made, both provide elastic properties to this element. During sound reproduction, the spider needs enough room in the system to move up and down, following the coil armature, so that it does not interfere with any other element. Such interference may produce an undesired buzzing noise. Thus, the position of the spider 6 within the loudspeaker is an important consideration. The spider 6 is disposed close to the basket 4, the cone 2, the motor 14, the coil 9, and the lead wire (not shown). In addition, the spider contributes to the delineation of the air cavities 5, 7 within the loudspeaker, which may lead to noise artifacts when significant airflows take place (e.g., during the reproduction of low frequencies). Conventional spiders are usually made of cloth impregnated with a resin. Stiffness can vary significantly depending upon the supplier and the particular design of the spider. As such, consistency of the spiders in terms of stiffness is difficult to control.
A loudspeaker structure is needed in which the suspension elements address the challenges. The disclosed embodiments include a loudspeaker structure, and particularly a spider suspension element, that may take up less space within the loudspeaker, may be positioned so as not to interfere with other elements of the loudspeaker, and may be provided with a more consistent and predictable stiffness.